The Importance of Planning and Accountability

Academic News & Updates
Dissertation Motivation
Proposal

Nothing causes clients and specialists more stress than a poorly constructed proposal. A proposal without the level of detail that clearly outlines your framework, methodological approach, and analytical approach may prove to be an issue as you attempt to proceed beyond proposal approval. It may also indicate a committee that is ‘asleep at the wheel’ in terms of providing you with guidance. These issues can hinder your progress as you attempt to develop your dissertation manuscript.

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Aligning theoretical framework, gathering articles, synthesizing gaps, articulating a clear methodology and data plan, and writing about the theoretical and practical implications of your research are part of our comprehensive dissertation editing services.

  • Bring dissertation editing expertise to chapters 1-5 in timely manner.
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Issues with framework are especially problematic as you develop your proposal. Without a well-articulated scholarly lens to view your research problem, you may find yourself struggling with the theoretical or conceptual approach to your study. Unresolved methodological and analytical issues can result in unclear data collection and analysis plans. These can threaten the quality of data you collect, the ability of your data to address your research questions, and your ability to conduct meaningful analyses on the data.

Increasing your own accountability and the accountability of your committee can help you avoid these issues. The planning stages are crucial and a little additional work on the front end saves time on the back end. Determining your exact methods for collecting and analyzing your data and deciding what you will report in your results chapter are paramount if you intend to move smoothly through your results chapter. A lack of clearly articulated statistical analyses and consensus regarding results reporting can turn the process of producing your results chapter into a nightmare.

After you have developed your research questions (that are tightly aligned to your problem and purpose statements) you can determine the statistical analyses you will use. Once you have determined your analyses, visit ProQuest and look for recently approved dissertations from your school and program that use the same data analysis approach you intend to use. Approved dissertations are good resources to see what are the key elements that belong in your proposal and that you should include in your results chapter. Use these as guides when developing your own proposal and results. However, do not just use one approved proposal unless it is an example you have been specifically instructed to follow; comparing what has been included in several different dissertations can help you avoid modeling your own work on a single paper that may lack sufficient detail.

Finally, an accountability partner can really help you gauge the quality of your work and your diligence in completing tasks. Identifying another student in the same place in your program or slightly ahead of you is the best method for finding an accountability partner. You may also be interested in partnering with a specialist at Statistics Solutions to collaborate with you. Our specialists serve as sounding boards to help you fine tune your ideas, and with their varied backgrounds, they can offer a fresh perspective that can improve your approach.